]]>https://sgdesign.com/post-2/feed/0WordPress Challengehttps://sgdesign.com/wordpress-challenge/
Tue, 01 Aug 2017 11:26:52 +0000http://sgdesign.com/?page_id=3528Determining the best technology for a project is extremely important to any projects success. Which choices you make determine the deployment efficiency (time to market and profitability / success) and can very well make or break a project. Here is where I believe the first problem with using WordPress (and other generic sitebuilders) surface. It’s […]

Determining the best technology for a project is extremely important to any projects success. Which choices you make determine the deployment efficiency (time to market and profitability / success) and can very well make or break a project.

Here is where I believe the first problem with using WordPress (and other generic sitebuilders) surface. It’s very simple to put up a nicely styled website in WordPress. Highly talented Designers have created many templates and beautifully designed themes to make a website look professional and reasonably functional with little effort.

Is this a bad thing? Definitely not, unless you want more than a very simple site and you resign yourself to being flexible and accepting the limitations of the theme or plugin choice at the start. Otherwise, a traditionally custom designed site will serve you better and cost you less over the long haul.

How can this be? Well, lets use our redesign as an example.
In redesigning our site we choose to use WordPress to get a more detailed understanding of how WordPress can benefit or hinder the development of a website.

Initial Pros and Cons were determined based on:

Deployment

Functionality

Expansion

Deployment

WordPress is easy to get a site up and running. This related to simple and generic sites. More custom sites require the same steps as any custom site. Unique and specific design to meet the Customer’s needs. Programming to create the functionality required make the site more than just a Blog.Conclusion, great for simple sites that are not very unique from other sites.

Functionality

In our test we start to see the weakness of a generic framework when it comes to functionality. Again, if the site is not unique and follows the functionality of most other simple sites, WordPress, WIX etc will have a template that covers the basics. In our tests this falls apart fast as we’d not like to be part of the crowd and copy the functionality of others. To achieve greater functionality in a WordPress site, we have to branch off from the Parent Theme. This requires creating a Child Theme and making modifications and additions in this separate area, which will then override the original Theme (design). No problem, we’re good at coding, but we need to manage conflicts with the original Themes design. Things start to slow down at this point due to the added debugging required to make old and new code work, together, without conflict.Conclusion, It’s important to understand WordPresses original purpose, which is a Blogging Application. If you’re planning on writing a lot of pages of text, wordpress rocks and has loads of benefits. If you’re running a Business online for purposes other than textual information, WordPress may not be in your best long term interest.

Expansion

This relates to the issues we found in Functionality. If the site is to have continued expansions to complement the Company’s growth, being tied to a predetermined framework and theme, starts to slow the development process. At this point the decision to strip the theme to it’s own level and abandon WordPress starts to make sense. IF the site is simple and relies on Blogging (writing articles and other textually rich content pages) WordPress will excel as this has always been it’s main purpose.

Conclusion, websites, like each business, are unique and the requirements for success will not be the same. If we understand WordPress was built originally for writing articles, we can use that when the requirement dictates a website primarily for blogging or is very simple in nature. If the website’s purpose is going to be more unique, a Custom website will be more appropriate and efficient in the long run.

]]>At what point does your blog own you?https://sgdesign.com/at-what-point-does-your-blog-own-you/
https://sgdesign.com/at-what-point-does-your-blog-own-you/#respondSat, 12 Feb 2011 13:31:47 +0000http://sgdesign.com/words/?p=40We’ve had the privilege of working with many great clients over the years. Recently we’ve taken on clients that have come from the Blog world where others have sold them on a Blog being the foundation of their sites CMS. Popular Blogs such as WordPress offer many great features that could save a client thousands […]

]]>We’ve had the privilege of working with many great clients over the years. Recently we’ve taken on clients that have come from the Blog world where others have sold them on a Blog being the foundation of their sites CMS. Popular Blogs such as WordPress offer many great features that could save a client thousands of dollars in custom programming costs. In most cases these Blogs are also free. Perfect, right? What more do you need?

The problem comes in when you need to customize the blog to further your businesses goals.
Sure you can re-theme a blog. This creates the first hurtle for the customer that thought they were getting something at a low cost. WordPress Themes (the look and visual design of the Blog) have to be created in parts and then reassembled and published using the proper formatting of the blog. Next, if you want more than a different “look” you’ll need find a plugin created by some other programmer, install it and then hope the generic nature of blog publishing meets your specific demand. From this point the costs and time taken to achieve the new goal/changes ramp up significantly as new code needs work in the framework of the parent blog.

At this point a mini blog can come to the rescue.

Mini blog? A mini blog is an application created without all the overhead of a larger blog such as WordPress.
A mini blog simply does the basic features of a full blown blog but offers greater customization and simpler deployment in it’s very nature.
A mini blog allow the following:

You publish blog type posts from an admin area of your site.

It allows and manages the uploading and resizing of images and the creation of slideshows as needed.

Full editing capability by office staff

Sequencing by way of a simple ranking system.

Simple and to the point. The benefits now mean a mini blog can be set into an existing design simply by adding a page. There is great flexibility for the customer. The simple nature of also encourages more use and in-turn higher changes of achieving marketing goals for the Customer.

While it’s not hard to administer a WordPress blog or create your own themes if you are a Designer and Programmer or spend the time to learn the intricacies of these blogging applications, a mini blog frees a customer to focus on their goals, not learning to work within a generic framework of a large scale blog.

]]>https://sgdesign.com/at-what-point-does-your-blog-own-you/feed/0SaaS – Software as a Service.https://sgdesign.com/saas-software-as-a-service/
https://sgdesign.com/saas-software-as-a-service/#respondSun, 03 Jan 2010 14:48:40 +0000http://sgdesign.com/words/?p=35It’s been around as a term for quite some time. Will 2010 be the year it becomes common place? Adobe has the Scene 7 project and we’ve been contracted to integrate this system into a web application we have created over the past year. We also have an on going project (RTK – Retailer Tool […]

]]>It’s been around as a term for quite some time. Will 2010 be the year it becomes common place? Adobe has the Scene 7 project and we’ve been contracted to integrate this system into a web application we have created over the past year.

We also have an on going project (RTK – Retailer Tool Kit) that is similar to SaaS. It allows backend development and expansion for all Members since the the primary code is shared. Members get continued benefits at a lower price point while the development is more focused as it needs only be released to one location rather than many.

Microsoft is also moving to a similar means of software purchase. You can buy a program outright or sign up for Software Assurance which while you are subscribed you get upgrades as part of the Service.

It will be interesting if people find merit in leasing their software. And as many companies release different takes on the idea it will be interesting to see which take hold and which methods of deployment and marketing are cast aside.

]]>https://sgdesign.com/saas-software-as-a-service/feed/0Custom Design or Template?https://sgdesign.com/custom-design-or-template/
https://sgdesign.com/custom-design-or-template/#respondWed, 22 Apr 2009 00:49:32 +0000http://sgdesign.com/words/?p=16Continued change The web keeps changing. From static pages of years gone by to Content Management Systems and frameworks. Blogs and Social Networks to templating systems, the choices are many. Templates Many people are looking to Templates when it’s time to update their sites. The primary reason seems to be cost and while a web […]

The web keeps changing. From static pages of years gone by to Content Management Systems and frameworks. Blogs and Social Networks to templating systems, the choices are many.

Templates

Many people are looking to Templates when it’s time to update their sites. The primary reason seems to be cost and while a web based storefront, even if custom designed, is far less cost than a brick and mortar, some budgets do not allow the owner a custom designed site.

The benefit of a templated site is that you get into a fully functional website without having to incur the costs associated with a custom design. Topically it makes good sense if you have a simple site and fit in to a template designed for similar businesses.

The downside of a templated site is that you have to fit into a predetermined set of features. Yes, if the company providing the template is a design firm, and created the template, they can change it to fit your needs as they grow or change over time. So with all aspects of running a sucessful online business or application, you need to take the time to fully outline your goals and expectations and then you can best choose a solution that will work best for your requirement.

Expectations

Understand that your site is really just like a brick and mortar showcase or storefront. First impressions are just as valid and the functionality of your site and how it compliments the users experience is the difference between a high end pleasurable event found at a quality retailer verses the frustration of a lesser quality establishment.

Outline the goals for your site. Take time to review your competition. Honestly evaluate your budget as well as your current operating costs. What do you spend on marketing? Is your current marketing plan producing the desired sales?

While the adage “You get what you pay for” holds true, there is no reason why you can not invest your budget wisely and start to see a higher return on your internet marketing investments.

Custom Design

A custom design is clean slate ready to form into whatever goals you have for your site. Whether you want to wow your visitor with concise targeting of their needs or create an application to run your business in the manner you chose, a custom design allows provides unfettered freedom to achieve your goals.
Custom Designs are not always a high cost item. For instance, if you create an application that speeds the means to achieve goals in your business, that custom design will pay for it’s self and start returning a profit over time. It’s wise to think of your investment over the long run. There’s a good chance your competition is thinking in the same manner…